The present invention relates to rails for forming tracks upon which a wheeled vehicle may pass, and to tracks which are so formed. The invention has particular but not exclusive application to tracks known as "dolly" tracks, which are used to support wheeled trolleys or vehicles such as are, for example, used in the entertainment business, to support cameras and sometimes operators therefor.
Up until this time, the rails and tracks for such trolleys have been formed of a fabricated steel material, and have been provided in demountable sections, each section principally consisting of a length of metal tubing provided with brackets which engage base sleepers, which support the track. Further, tracks are known in which rail portions are mounted on sleepers, the sleepers being provided underneath or below the base portions of the track.
The above known systems, have numerous disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the tubing generally has insufficient strength to support the trolley as required. Further, as there is considerable length between supporting sleepers, known tracks will often bend due to the weight of the trolley, camera and operator. In known systems, sections are joined one to the other in a substantially end-to-end abutting relationship, and are for example held in such a relationship by turnbuckles extending between engagement means provided adjacent ends of each adjoining section. It has been found that such joins will often distort as the turnbuckles are tightened, due to the unsatisfactory end-to-end relationship between the adjoining sections and due to the fact that the sleepers are provided underneath the rails. Thus, as pressure is applied to the turnbuckles, the rails tend to be drawn up and distortion occurs.
Where such rails and tracks are used, for example, in the entertainment business, it is often necessary that they be transported from place to place. It is therefore advantageous that in some aspects, the rails and tracks be able to be folded and thereafter transported and stored in a compact manner. Available and known tracks do not always meet these needs.
It is an object of this invention to go some way towards overcoming and at least minimizing the above problems.
Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description.